Women and Captains First | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 3 September 1982 | |||
Recorded | Spring 1982 | |||
Studio | Old Barn Studios, Kenley, UK | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 45:20 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Producer | Tony Mansfield | |||
Captain Sensible chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Women and Captains First | ||||
|
Women and Captains First is the debut solo album by English musician Captain Sensible, best known as guitarist for The Damned, released on 3 September 1982 by A&M Records. It features contributions from producer Tony Mansfield, Robyn Hitchcock and the band Dolly Mixture. The album was preceded by the singles "Happy Talk" and "Wot", which peaked at numbers 1 and 26 on the UK Singles Chart, respectively. The album reached No. 64 on the UK Albums Chart. [1] It was reissued on CD in 2009 by Cherry Red Records, including six bonus tracks. [2]
Women and Captains First was recorded while Captain Sensible was still a member of punk rock band The Damned. He had released his debut solo record, the three song EP This is Your Captain Speaking, in November 1981 on Crass Records. [3] The producer of Women and Captains First, Tony Mansfield of synth-pop band New Musik, had previously produced The Damned's Friday 13th EP , also released in November 1981. Sensible recorded demos of four of his songs with Mansfield, who then gave them to his manager who took them to A&M Records. [4] Sensible: “I got a solo deal with A&M on the strength of a few tunes The Damned had rejected for being too melodic.” [5] For Sensible, Women and Captains First was a musical departure from The Damned's blend of punk, rock and psychedelic rock influences. Sensible: "Mansfield wasn't into the psychedelic guitar thing. He was into pop. I wanted his '80s synth pop production on my records." [4]
The last song recorded for the album was a cover version of “Happy Talk” from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific . Sensible: “Needing one song to complete an album, producer Tony Mansfield told me to rummage through my records to find something worthy of a cover version." [5] Sensible was instructed to find "something we could do something a bit weird with" [4] and ended up choosing “Happy Talk” from his parents’ record collection. [5] When A&M heard the finished recording they "smelled a hit", according to Sensible. Initially, he wouldn't let them release it as a single. "Well, until they lied that a well-known artist from a big label was doing their own version and I'd lose my guaranteed number 1. So I said yes." [4] Released as the album's first single in June 1982, “Happy Talk” topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in July. [1] The success of the single launched Sensible's solo career, and he quickly found himself in constant demand for TV appearances, radio and magazines. "One minute I was living at home with my mum and dad, and in a punk group and being the disgrace of the neighbourhood, and the next minute everyone thought I was this wonderful novelty song artist, and it was lunacy." [6]
Second single "Wot" was a Top 10 hit in several European countries and a Top 30 hit in the UK, US and Australia. The album's third single, "Croydon", failed to chart.
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Classic Rock | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Vive Le Rock | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Mark Deming wrote: "Part of the idea behind the album was to show he could do more than just straightforward punk rock, and there's no arguing he succeeded." Deming felt that the "proto-rap" of "Wot" and the "domestic squalor" of "A Nice Cup of Tea" are "comic", but they are also "well-crafted pop tunes that deliver the goods". "Croydon" and "Brenda Parts 1 & 2," are described as "smart and atmospheric with a faint psychedelic edge", and "Croydon" also reveals a "subtle but clear John Lennon influence". The traditional jazz arrangement of "Nobody's Sweetheart", according to Deming, is "an effective bit of retro fun". In his conclusion, Deming wrote that most of Women and Captains First is dominated by "synthesizers, drum machines, and breathy female backing vocals", giving the album "a slick and instantly recognizable '80s sound" that hasn't dated well. [7]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Wot" | Captain Sensible | 3:40 |
2. | "A Nice Cup of Tea" | Sensible | 3:12 |
3. | "Brenda Part 1" | Sensible, Robyn Hitchcock | |
4. | "Brenda Part 2" | Sensible, Hitchcock | 7:27 |
5. | "Yanks with Guns" | Sensible | 4:30 |
6. | "Happy Talk" | Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II | 3:27 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
7. | "Martha the Mouth" | Sensible | 3:52 |
8. | "Nobody's Sweetheart" | Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman, Billy Meyers, Elmer Schoebel | 3:18 |
9. | "(What D'Ya Give) The Man Who's Gotten Everything" | Sensible, Penny Rimbaud | 4:20 |
10. | "Who Is Melody Lee, Sid?" | Sensible | 1:53 |
11. | "Gimme a Uniform" | Sensible | 3:50 |
12. | "Croydon" | Sensible, Hitchcock | 5:50 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Wot" | Sensible | 4:36 |
2. | "A Nice Cup of Tea" | Sensible | 3:21 |
3. | "Brenda Parts 1 & 2" | Sensible, Hitchcock | 7:38 |
4. | "Yanks With Guns" | Sensible | 4:34 |
5. | "Happy Talk" | Rodgers, Hammerstein II | 3:36 |
6. | "Martha the Mouth" | Sensible | 3:53 |
7. | "Nobody's Sweetheart" | Kahn, Erdman, Meyers, Schoebel | 3:21 |
8. | "(What D'Ya Give) the Man Who's Gotten Everything" | Sensible, Rimbaud | 4:24 |
9. | "Who Is Melody Lee, Sid?" | Sensible | 1:58 |
10. | "Gimme a Uniform" | Sensible | 3:59 |
11. | "Croydon" | Sensible, Hitchcock | 4:58 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | "It" (B-side of "Happy Talk", 1982) | Sensible | 1:22 |
13. | "I Can't Stand It (Demo)" (B-side of "Happy Talk", 1982) | Sensible | 4:01 |
14. | "Strawberry Dross (Extended Version)" (B-side of "Wot", 1982) | Sensible | 9:28 |
15. | "Jimi Hendrix's Strat" (B-side of "Croydon", 1982) | Sensible | 5:21 |
16. | "Damned on 45" (B-side of "Glad It's All Over", 1984) | Various | 7:20 |
17. | "Joe Meek" (Previously unreleased) | Sensible | 3:35 |
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [4]
Charts (1982) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Albums Chart [1] | 64 |
German Albums Chart [11] | 24 |
New Zealand Albums Charts [12] | 50 |
The Damned are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1976 by lead vocalist Dave Vanian, guitarist Brian James, bassist Captain Sensible, and drummer Rat Scabies. They were the first punk band from the United Kingdom to release a single, "New Rose" (1976), release a studio album, Damned Damned Damned (1977), and tour the United States. They have nine singles that charted on the UK Singles Chart Top 40.
Strawberries is the fifth studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released in October 1982 by record label Bronze.
Raymond Ian Burns, known by the stage name Captain Sensible, is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He co-founded the punk rock band the Damned in 1976, originally playing bass before switching to guitar. He is known for his distinctive appearance including a red beret and sunglasses, typically with white frames. Sensible embarked on a solo career during the 1980s, achieving a UK number one hit with his version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Happy Talk" (1982) and further hits with "Wot" (1982) and "Glad It's All Over" (1984). In 2006, Sensible founded the Blah! Party. He continues to perform in the Damned.
Machine Gun Etiquette is the third studio album by English punk rock band the Damned, released on 2 November 1979 by Chiswick Records.
The Black Album is the fourth studio album by English punk rock band the Damned, and the first to feature Paul Gray on bass guitar. It was released on 3 November 1980 by Chiswick as a double album, with "Curtain Call" filling the whole of side 3, and a selection of live tracks recorded at Shepperton Studios at a special concert for Damned fan club members on side 4. The song "13th Floor Vendetta" paid tribute to the film The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), opening with the lyrics "...the organ plays to midnight on Maldine Square tonight".
Phantasmagoria is the sixth album by U.K. punk rock band the Damned, released by MCA in July 1985. Special editions were available on white vinyl or picture disc; some versions included a free 12-inch of their No. 3 hit "Eloise". It is the first album by the band without original member Captain Sensible, and was a style shift to gothic rock compared to the band's punk sound of its early and later career.
"Smash It Up" is a song by English punk rock band the Damned, released as a single on 12 October 1979 by Chiswick Records. It is considered the band's unofficial anthem.
The Muffs were an American pop punk band based in Southern California, formed in 1991. Led by singer and guitarist Kim Shattuck, the band released four full-length studio albums in the 1990s, as well as numerous singles including "Lucky Guy" and "Sad Tomorrow", and a cover version of "Kids in America". After a long hiatus beginning in 1999, the band released a fifth album in 2004 but thereafter effectively disbanded. Almost a decade later, the three core members of the band reunited and started performing again. Their sixth album, Whoop Dee Doo, was released in 2014.
"Love Song" is a single by English punk rock band the Damned, released in April 1979. It was the first fruit of the reformed lineup's deal with Chiswick Records, boosted by four variant picture sleeves, each one featuring a member of the band, with an additional 20,000 copies pressed on red vinyl. It was the Damned's first top 40 hit, peaking at number 20 in the UK Singles Chart, and leading to the band's debut on Top of the Pops.
Dolly Mixture were an English rock band, formed in 1978 by the bassist and vocalist Debsey Wykes, guitarist and vocalist Rachel Bor, and drummer Hester Smith. They had a taste of top 40 success performing backing vocals for the Captain Sensible hit "Wot", a top 10 hit with Sensible on "Glad It's All Over", and a UK No. 1 hit backing Sensible on his 1982 cover of "Happy Talk". Rachel Bor also featured on the Animus/Loose Records single "Wot NO Meat?" also by Captain Sensible in 1985. Bor and Wykes performed together on 24 April 2013 at the Islington Assembly Hall in London.
"Happy Talk" is a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific. It is sung by Bloody Mary to the American lieutenant Joe Cable, about having a happy life, after he begins romancing her daughter Liat. Liat performs the song with hand gestures as Mary sings.
So, Who's Paranoid is the tenth studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. Released in November 2008, it was their first album in seven years. It was funded by the band themselves and released on their English Channel label. Musically, the album largely draws from the band's 1980s gothic rock sound.
Smash It Up: The Anthology 1976–1987 is a compilation album by the English punk and gothic rock band the Damned, released on 22 October 2002. It collects tracks spanning the first eleven years of the band's career, beginning with their debut single "New Rose" (1976) and continuing through their first seven studio albums—Damned Damned Damned (1977), Music for Pleasure (1977), Machine Gun Etiquette (1979), The Black Album (1980), Strawberries (1982), Phantasmagoria (1985), and Anything (1986)—along with the non-album singles "Stretcher Case Baby" (1977), "Lovely Money" (1982), and "Eloise" (1986).
"Wot" is a 1982 single by English musician Captain Sensible released by A&M Records. The song was produced by Tony Mansfield and features the group Dolly Mixture on backing vocals. The song charted in the United Kingdom and was a specialist hit in the United States, but enjoyed its greatest success in continental Europe.
Evil Spirits is the eleventh studio album from the Damned. Released on 13 April 2018, it was their first album in ten years and was produced by famed producer Tony Visconti who is best known for his work with David Bowie. The album was largely crowdfunded by a successful PledgeMusic campaign.
The Power of Love is the second solo album by The Damned guitarist Captain Sensible, released in November 1983 by A&M Records. The album didn't chart but the single "Glad It's All Over" reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart. The album features contributions from producer Tony Mansfield, Robyn Hitchcock, Ruts drummer Dave Ruffy and the band Dolly Mixture, among others.
Mad Cows and Englishmen is the sixth and last studio solo album by Captain Sensible, released in 1996 by Scratch Records.
Black Is the Night: The Definitive Anthology is a 2-CD, career-spanning compilation album by the British punk rock band the Damned, released on 1 November 2019. It collects tracks from most of the band's studio albums between 1977 and 2018, as well as selected non-album singles and B-sides. It also includes the new track "Black Is the Night". Of the band's eleven studio albums to date, Not of This Earth (1995) and So, Who's Paranoid? (2008) are not represented on the anthology. All tracks were chosen by the band themselves, and sequenced thematically instead of chronologically.
This is Your Captain Speaking is a three-track EP by English musician Captain Sensible, released on 2 November 1981 on Crass Records. It was Sensible's first release as a solo artist, while still being a member of rock band the Damned. It reached No. 3 in the UK Indie Chart.
Get Back into the World is the second studio album by English rock band the Sensible Gray Cells, released 27 November 2020 by Damaged Goods. The band is a side project of guitarist Captain Sensible and bassist Paul Gray of the Damned, and the album is the first to feature drummer Marty Love of punk rock band Johnny Moped. The album was released seven years after their debut A Postcard from Britain. The two singles "So Long" and "Get Back into the World" both reached No. 5 on the Official Vinyl Singles Chart.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)